xanathars guide to everything

S AGE

d6

2

3

I became a sage bec a use ...

I was naturally curious, so I packed up and went to

a university to learn more about the world.

My mentor's teachings opened my mind to new

possibilities in that field of study.

I was a lways an avid reader, and I learned much

about my favorite topic on my own.

4 I discovered an old library and pored over the texts

I found there. That experience awakened a hunger

for more knowledge.

5 I impressed a wizard who told me I was squander-

ing my talents and should seek out an education to

take advantage of my gifts.

6 One of my parents or a relative gave me a basic ed-

ucation that whetted my appetite, and I left home

to build on what I had learned.

SAILOR

d6 I became a sailor be c a us e ...

2

3

I was p ress-ganged by pirates and forced to serve

on their shi p until I finally escaped.

I wanted to see the world, so I signed on as a deck-

hand for a merchant ship.

One of my relatives was a sailor who took me to

sea.

4 I needed to escape my community quickly, so I

stowed away on a ship. When the crew found me, I

was forced to work for m y passage.

5 Reavers attacked my community, so I found refuge

on a ship until I could seek vengeance.

6 I had few prospects where I was living, so I left to

find my fortune elsewhere.

SOLDIER

d6 I became a soldie r be ca use ...

2

3

4

5

6

URCHIN

d6

2

I joined the militia to help protect my community

from monsters.

A relative of mine was a soldier, and I wanted to

carry on the family tradition.

The local lord forced me to enlist in the army.

War ravaged my homeland while I was growing u p.

Fighting was the only life I ever knew.

I wanted fame and fortune, so I joined a mercenary

company, selling my sword to the highest bidder.

Invaders attacked my homeland. It was my duty to

take up arms in defense of my people.

I be ca m e a n urchin because ...

Wanderlust caused me to leave my family to see

the world. I look after myself.

I ran away from a bad situation at home and made

my own way in the world.

CHAPTER 1 I CHARACTER OPTIONS

d6

3

4

5

I became an urchin because. ..

Monsters wiped out my village, and I was the sole

survivor. I had to find a way to survive.

A notorious thief looked after me and other or-

phans, and we spied and stole to earn our keep.

One day I woke up on t h e streets, alone and hun-

gry, with no memory of my early childhood.

6 My parents died, leaving no one to look after me. I

raised myself.

CLASS TRAINING

lf you haven't chosen your c lass yet, do so now, keeping

in mind your background and all the other details you

have established so far. O nce you've made your selec-

tion, roll a d6 and find the numbe r you rolled on the ap-

propriate table in this section, which describes how you

came to be a m ember of that class.

T he class sections earlier in th is chapter have further

s tory suggestions, which you can use in concert with the

material here.

BARBARIAN

d6 I became a barbaria n because ...

2

3

4

5

6

BARD

d6

2

3

4

5

6

My devotion to my people lifted me in battle, mak-

ing me powerful and dangerous.

The spirits o f my ancestors called on me to carry

out a great task.

I lost control in battle one day, and it was as if

something else was manipulating my body, forcing

it to kill every foe I could reach.

I went on a spiritual journey to find myself a nd

instead found a spirit animal to guide, protect, and

inspire me.

I was struck by lightning and lived. Afterward, I

found a new strength within me that let me push

beyond my limitations.

My anger needed to be channeled into battle, or I

risked becoming an indiscriminate killer.

I beca m e a bard bec a use ...

I awakened my latent bardic abilities through trial

and error.

I was a gifted performer and attracted the atten-

tion of a master bard who schooled m e in the o ld

techniques.

I joined a loose society of scholars and o rators to

learn new techniques of performance and magic.

I felt a calling to recount the deeds of champions

and heroes, to bring them alive in song and story.

I joined one of t h e great colleges to learn old lore,

the secrets of magic, and the art of performance.

I picked up a musical instrument o ne day and in-

stantly discovered that I could play it.